Many Christians may hesitate to even consider rebuilding the Christian community because they feel that they will need to challenge mainstream society in a way that will result in failure.
However, Christians can bring Christianity’s presence back into the public by strengthening the Christian community from within and actively reaching out to non-Christians.
In rebuilding the Christian community, it will be helpful for Christians to understand that a way of living and thinking can be upheld and promoted that differs from the mainstream of the public in a free society. Christians may think that they need to directly change mainstream society to revive Christianity in the public. However, Christians can bring Christianity’s presence back into the public by strengthening the Christian community from within and actively reaching out to non-Christians.
For example, Christians don't have to directly change what mainstream society thinks about marriage to connect with other Christians who feel the same way and fortify each other’s beliefs. Christians should also still actively evangelize, however. Only fortifying the Christian community from within is not the answer. There also needs to be an active outreach.
Creating a strong Christian community from within and evangelizing from without will end up creating a strong Christian presence and influence in the public. This is why Christians shouldn’t throw their hands up in the air and give up. The Christian community can be rebuilt. It will be rebuilt, and it will regain an influential role in the public square.